Disney has revealed the next home for Deadpool.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t exactly been in top form for the past few years, its sole cinematic release for 2024 has surpassed all expectations. Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) – which sees Ryan Reynolds reprise his role of Wade Wilson, AKA the “Merch with a Mouth” Deadpool, and Hugh Jackman return as Wolverine – has grossed a whopping $1.148 billion at the box office, making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year after Inside Out 2 (2024).
Unsurprisingly, fans are already talking about when they can expect to see Deadpool and Wolverine back on the big screen. While nothing’s confirmed as of yet, an industry insider recently claimed that Jackman is keen to keep his second run as Wolverine going for a little while longer.
The Australian actor – who previously bowed out of the role in Logan (2017) – will apparently return in Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), as well as star in more Deadpool & Wolverine films alongside his real-life-friend Reynolds.
Reynolds himself has mostly remained coy about the prospects of suiting up once again. However, considering the fact that Deadpool & Wolverine worked so hard to find a way to interlink the world of Deadpool with Earth-616 (AKA the reality inhabited by the MCU and all of its films) – such as featuring a cameo from Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and beefing up Wade Wilson’s desire to be an Avenger – it would seem like a real waste to throw away the character so soon (especially when he just raked in over $1 billion).
Earlier this month, however, Reynolds directly addressed the prospect of more installments in the Deadpool franchise. “This movie was made as a complete experience,” he told Collider. “It wasn’t meant to be a commercial for another movie. It wasn’t meant to be any of that stuff. And, I think I get a great deal of joy making a movie like that. But honestly, right in this moment, I have no idea if I’ll ever wear that Deadpool suit again — I hope I do — but I don’t know. Right now’s the time to just kind of hang it up for a bit and see what happens next.”
While we wait and see if (or more likely when) Reynolds and Jackman return as the MCU’s favorite one-sided BFFs, Disney has offered fans another way of experiencing the franchise. To celebrate the film’s release, it integrated Deadpool into Disney theme parks for the first time ever.
Since July, both Avengers Campus locations—Disney California Adventure Park and Walt Disney Studios Park—have featured Deadpool character experiences. At California Adventure, he appears alongside Wolverine and fronts “Story Time with Deadpool,” where the character has made some divisive jokes that some argue are too mature for the Disney Parks crowd (such as suggesting that Tony Stark/Iron Man has Grindr and claiming that Wolverine is “obviously the bottom” in their relationship).
Meanwhile, at Disneyland Paris, Deadpool makes sporadic appearances around the land, where he’s made jokes about Walt Disney Studios Park’s seemingly eternal state of construction. In true Disney fashion, the character is sans guns in both parks, instead carrying baguettes in Paris and chimichangas in Anaheim.
Earlier this month, Disney confirmed that Deadpool would exit the French theme park on September 15, 2024. While Disneyland Resort is yet to confirm the character’s last day in Southern California, it’s safe to assume that it will also happen in mid-September.
Fortunately, Disney isn’t ditching the character completely. This week, the Disney Cruise Line confirmed that it will include Deadpool in its superhero team when the Disney Adventure sets sail in 2025.
The cruise ship – which will be Disney’s first to set sail from Asia – will be based in Singapore. Deadpool will star in “Avengers Assemble!”, one of the three shows performed aboard the ship’s Garden Stage. This will combine stunts and special effects to give audiences a firsthand look at a fight between the heroes and villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Aside from Deadpool, this lineup will include Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Black Panther, The Scarlet Witch, Ms. Marvel, Loki, Red Skull, Taskmaster, and more. The full announcement reads:
Making his grand Disney Cruise Line debut, Deadpool will be among a legendary line-up of Marvel Super Heroes and Villains who take the stage in Avengers Assemble! This epic entertainment experience will feature jaw-dropping stunts and unbelievable special effects during an action-packed battle of good vs. evil.
During the show, guests will witness first-hand the unbelievable powers of Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Black Panther, The Scarlet Witch, Ms. Marvel, Loki, Red Skull, Taskmaster and more.
Avengers Assemble! is one of the signature shows coming to the Garden Stage onboard the Disney Adventure. Complete with three-deck-high LED screens, special effects and innovative theatrical tools, the cutting-edge Garden Stage will delight guests of all ages throughout each day of their voyage.
For now, bookings aren’t open for the Disney Adventure. However, considering all the other details unveiled for the ship this week – such as the Disney Imagination Garden and the first Disney castle at sea – the hype is already building for its first embarkation day in 2025.
How else do you think Disney could integrate Deadpool into its theme park and cruise ship offerings?
